FIFA, confirming a report by Russia's Tass news agency, said
the test was routine and there were no complaints from players
or officials.
Rostov, second in the league and two points behind CSKA Moscow,
won the match 3-1.
"We have to be unpredictable, they have to know that we can turn
up anywhere at any time," FIFA's chief medical officer Jiri
Dvorak told Reuters by telephone.
"I have to stress that the team was very co-operative, there was
no resistance or complaints whatsoever; they understood what we
were doing and that is very important."
FIFA later said in a statement, "the initiative was based on
previous media reports regarding potential use of Meldonium."
An independent World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) commission last
November revealed widespread state-sponsored doping in Russia,
which led to a ban on the country competing in international
athletics competitions.
Unless that ban is lifted, Russian athletics competitors will
miss the Rio Olympics in Brazil, set to run Aug. 5-21.
At least 16 Russian sportsmen and women, including world tennis
player Maria Sharapova and speed skating Olympic gold-medallist
Semion Elistratov, have been caught using meldonium since it was
banned by WADA on Jan. 1.
Meldonium, manufactured for people suffering from heart
problems, helps boost blood flow and increases the amount of
oxygen taken in by the body, allowing athletes to recover faster
while training.
The use of meldonium was widespread before the ban. One study
showed 490 athletes at last year's European Games in Baku had
taken it. (Reporting by Brian Homewood; Editing by Peter
Rutherford)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
|